King and the Man: How This 2026 Hit Film Crossed 16 Million Viewers

[JoyNews24 reporter Park Jin-young] While Project Hail Mary holds the top spot at the box office, The Man Who Lives with the King is poised to surpass 16 million admissions.

As of 12:00 a.m. on April 5, Korea’s Integrated Box Office System (KOBIS) reported that The Man Who Lives with the King drew 123,741 viewers on April 4, placing it second on the daily chart. Its cumulative admissions stand at 15,997,235 after 60 days in release.

The Man Who Lives with the King currently sits at No. 3 on the all-time Korean box office, behind The Admiral: Roaring Currents (17.61 million) and Extreme Job (16.26 million). It is set to top 16 million admissions on April 5 — its 61st day in theaters. Despite new releases, it has held the daily No. 2 spot behind Project Hail Mary, and analysts expect it will soon overtake Extreme Job’s final tally.

Set in Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, the film follows a village chief who volunteers for exile to revive his town and a young dethroned king forced into exile. It’s the first South Korean film to center on King Danjong’s story. Yoo Hae-jin, the country’s top cumulative box-office draw, and rising star Park Ji-hoon play village chief Eom Heung-do and King Danjong (Lee Hong-wi), respectively. Yoo Ji-tae, Jeon Mi-do, Lee Joon-hyuk, Park Ji-hwan and Ahn Jae-hong round out a strong ensemble.

The Man Who Lives with the King sparked a “Danjong” craze and reached 10 million admissions on its 31st day in release. It’s the first film to hit 10 million in two years since Crime City 4, and it’s the fourth historical drama to cross the 10-million mark. Yoo Hae-jin now counts this as his fifth 10-million film, following The King and the Clown, Veteran, A Taxi Driver and Pamyo. Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Ji-tae, Jeon Mi-do and Kim Min also earned the “10-million actor” distinction for the first time. The film currently ranks No. 3 on the all-time box office chart and leads in cumulative revenue.

Project Hail Mary topped the daily box office, drawing 153,792 viewers the same day and bringing its cumulative total to 1,518,339. In third place was the Japanese film The Last Song You Left, starring Shunsuke Michieda, which drew 16,760 viewers and has a cumulative total of 42,251.